I messed up on this sketch… I think I was supposed to draw Raphael (hence the “R” belt buckle”) but I gave him nunchucks instead of Raphael’s signature sais. Michelangelo is the nunchucks turtle. OOPS!

To rectify this, somebody (perhaps Laura Martin, who colored this piece) added the word balloon coming from off-panel to indicate that Michelangelo is wearing Raphael’s belt. I think it’s more plausible that Raphael could have simply picked up Michelangelo’s nunchucks, but I suppose, “Raphael! Where are my nunchucks?” would have required a word balloon larger than there was space for.

In any case, the fan requesting the sketch took it all in stride like a champ. Even saw fit to get this comic professionally graded and slabbed for preservation.

Why a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle is on a sketch cover of THE MARVELS PROJECT in the first place is anybody’s guess. But hey, why not? Cowabunga, dude!